Dec 19, 2013 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – For four days in January, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department will be a one-man show as outgoing Sheriff Richard Ketchem will work without a staff. The five current employees of the sheriff’s office received two week notices Wednesday stating their services would be terminated as of 8 a.m., Jan. 2. The letter was written by Tracy Zibkovich, human resoruces for Greene County.

Sheriff-elect Brian Tennant will be sworn into office on that date but cannot officially take office until the first Monday in January, which is four days later. If Tennant does not immediately name a new staff Jan. 6, he could be operating the office solo for a time as well.

The letter received by sheriff’s deputies and two other staff members from that department states, “Sheriff-Elect Brian Tennant has advised the county he intends not to automatically hire all of the current Sheriff’s Department employees, but instead he will exercise his hiring and firing rights under section 1620 of the County Code.”

It is not known whether it was Ketchem or Tennant who directed that the letter be written.

The Section 1620 provision of Pennsylvania County Code gives row officers the power to fire employees in their offices at will, without a justifiable reason, even under collective bargaining agreements. Current employees were advised in the letter to complete an application at the county website for consideration to work in Tennant’s department.

“How can I lay somebody off from a department I’m not in charge of? I don’t have any authority to do that,” said Tennant, when asked about the letter. As to what his intentions are regarding the hiring of sheriff’s deputies, Tennant said, “I’m just going to hire the best people for my department and start in January.”

Tennant said he had not reached out to the current employees in the department because he felt it would be inappropriate while Sheriff Ketchem was still in office.

Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said the commissioners would retroactively approve any hires that Tennant makes prior to the county salary board meeting on Jan. 9. Zimmerman was under the impression that Tennant officially would be the sheriff after the swearing in Jan. 2. However, Greene County Court Administrator Sheila Rode confirmed Tennant would not take office until Jan. 6, by law.

Rode said she was made aware a letter was sent to the employees in the sheriff’s department but did not know it terminated their employment on Jan. 2. On Jan. 2, 3, 4 and 6, there are pre-trial motions, pleaders, a nonjury trial and formal arraignments. All of those are subject to being rescheduled in the event there is no one to stand in from other local law enforcement agencies, according to Rode.

The sheriff’s office is responsible for processing gun permit applications, serving a variety of court orders and warrants, transporting prisoners, serving protection-from-abuse orders and providing courtroom security in criminal proceedings. The department is also in charge of conducting sheriff’s sales. There are currently four properties on the schedule for sheriff’s sale Jan. 10.

“I haven’t been told anything. I’ve tried to ask the questions,” Tennant said. “I’ve been waiting to hear something. I was told they could reapply for their jobs. I don’t know whose doing those interviews or accepting those applications at this point.”